Subtractive Schooling: U.S. Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring [Paperback]

Angela Valenzuela (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1999 | ISBN-10: 0791443221 | ISBN-13: 978-0791443224

Subtractive Schooling provides a framework for understanding the patterns of immigrant achievement and U.S.-born underachievement frequently noted in the literature and observed by the author in her ethnographic account of regular-track youth attending a comprehensive, virtually all-Mexican, inner-city high school in Houston. Valenzuela argues that schools subtract resources from youth in two major ways: firstly by dismissing their definition of education and secondly, through assimilationist policies and practices that minimize their culture and language. A key consequence is the erosion of students' social capital evident in the absence of academically-oriented networks among acculturated, U.S.-born youth.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Angela Valenzuela received the Outstanding Book Award for her book entitled: Subtractive Schooling: U.S.-Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring at the American Educational Research Association's Annual Meeting held in New Orleans, Louisiana, April 24-28th. The Award was established for the best book-length publication in educational research and development. To be considered for the Award, a book must be concerned with the improvement of the educational process through research or scholarly inquiry and must have a research base. The author or another scholar may nominate a book as specified in the Educational Researcher journal received by all AERA members. Committee Chair, P. David Pearson of Michigan State University will present Dr. Valenzuela with the Award. Among past recipients of the Award are: Stephen Jay Gould and Carol Gilligan; James C. Coleman and Thomas Hoffer; Burton R. Clark and David F. Labaree; David Tyack, Elizabeth Hansot, Teun A. Van Dijk, and Idit Harel; Joan DelFattore and Jonathan Kozol; and David C. Berliner and Bruce Biddle.

The book was selected because, according to P. David Pearson, the head of the selection committee, "It takes a provocative cluster of issues in American education -- race, power, and language -- beyond the usual rhetoric and adopts a fresh and thoughtful perspective." It also uses a complex array of methodological tools to address a complex issue. Most important, the voice of the researcher is clear, strong, and compelling. "This is a book that dares you to read it," Pearson added, "and once inside, it will not let you go until you have finished it."

--American Educational Research Association Press Release, April 26, 2000

About the Author

Dr. Valenzuela is currently an associate professor in Curriculum and Instruction and Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She received her doctorate in Sociology from Stanford University in 1990. Her current research interests include: Sociology of Education, Urban Education, Race and Ethnicity in the Schools, Multicultural Education, and Public Policy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: State Univ of New York Pr (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0791443221
• ISBN-13: 978-0791443224
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Ethnographic Equation: The Politics of Caring/Schooling, January 23, 2000

By 

Joey Rodriguez (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Subtractive Schooling: U.S.-Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring (Suny Series, the Social Context of Education) (Hardcover)

Dr. Valenzuela's research compels me to continue my work in critical theory and ethnography. SUBTRACTIVE SCHOOLING contributes to the dialogue on the education and schooling of U.S.-Mexican youth. Moreover, the study can extend to the schooling and education of Latinas and Latinos in the United States. Our schooling demands struggle for survival both within and beyond the classroom/school setting, especially when the curriculum is lifeless and irrelevant to students' immediate reality.

Clearly, Dr. Valenzuela spent time with the students and school culture at Seguin High, documenting the push and pound urban students encounter to succeed. Researchers in education rarely document the daily struggles of U.S.-Mexican high school students, but Dr. Valenzuela succeeds in presenting their story, their plight, their journey, their turmoil against uncaring bureaucracies. She does this with respect for the students' voices and naming of their schooling experiences as expressed through critical research and an insightful ethnographic equation. Dr. Valenzuela's research reminds educators, learners, and researchers that they must reconsider their politics and practices of caring when working with young students and thinkers of Mexican origin.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The problem with education, May 18, 2002

By 

Maya (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Subtractive Schooling: U.S. Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring (Paperback)

Valenzuela presents us with a study of both U.S. born and Mexican born students within American public schools. She is sincere, honest, and thorough. She studies teacher-student dynamics, and how many students are given the impression that teachers do not care how they fare in school. She also studies rifts between U.S. born and Mexican born students and the effect it has on both groups. She also brings up a very important issue about Mexican students who refuse to excel academically. She is the first person I've read who accurately labels this as "passive resistance". This is VERY IMPORTANT, because a lot of people have misconceptions about why many of us Mexicans do not perform well in school.
She uses student quotes and classroom observations to illustrate what these students are feeling and experiencing. It's obvious that the students trusted and respected her, and that she felt the same about them. Valenzuela does an excellent job here and I think all teachers should read this to get a better understanding of their students.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very readable, as well, October 28, 2002

By 

Stephen C. Huey (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Subtractive Schooling: U.S. Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring (Paperback)

From the other reviews, you know her book won an award and what it's about, so let me also say in case you're debating about buying it that it's written in a very readable style. I feel it's more interesting (or easier to keep going in) than a lot of sociology books that get tiring after a while. She has plenty of interestingly written snapshots of conversations and details of life in the school, and I particularly enjoyed the fact that she tended to give us the student responses in both Spanish and English. I learned a lot of cool nuances in the language that way!